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You Can Ride a Disney Monorail
to MGM,
An Open Letter To Walt Disney
World Walt Disney World Company Dear Builders of Disney's Future, Let me preface this letter by stating I am one of those "super fans" of Disney Parks. I first visited Disneyland at the age of three during the park's first week in 1955. My family and I continue to travel to Disney resorts for vacation often. Carol, Kory and Skyler have joined me on wonderful trips to Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Euro Disney (now Paris Disneyland). I went to Tokyo Disneyland alone on my monorail excursion of Japan in 1990. I love the parks and I want to see them continue to get better. One of the most frequently asked questions by guests of Walt Disney World in Florida is..."Why doesn't the monorail go to the Disney-MGM Theme Park?" Some of the answers they get seem ludicrous; one is "it won't fit in with the theming of the park." Strange how the monorails fit right in with Victorian and Polynesian hotels! And as long as we're talking about theming that blends, what about those fume-spewing buses? They aren't exactly Art Deco. The sad fact is that in recent years, the bus has become king of transit at Walt Disney World. Oh, we still see monorail in all the promotions on TV and in magazine advertisements, but when your guests get there, new attractions and new resorts aren't served by them. Instead, guests are more likely to be crammed into a conveyance that is no more futuristic than what they have back in Detroit, Houston or Bakersfield. Are they a glimpse of the clean and efficient transit future Walt had in mind? I think not. ENVIRONMENTALITY. It's one of those clever words your organization uses, like Imagineering or Audio-Animatronics. I first noticed the use of the word 'environmentality' in one of the Walt Disney Company Annual Stock Reports. "Environmentality is a company-wide awareness program that encourages and rewards all employees who emphasize positive environmental practices at home and on the job." This is how the Walt Disney Company touts its care for the environment in print, but in reality it is swiftly moving away from the cleanest, safest , most efficient and attractive form of transit you have...the monorail. The bus may be quicker and cheaper to install initially, but in the long run the operating and environmental costs are much higher. I urge you to expand upon the already proven monorail system. It continues to marvel people from around the world. Take note of the faces of guests on your monorails vs. on the buses, they can be quite different. Now the timing is especially good for extension building. An extension of the EPCOT loop could finally serve the Disney-MGM park, as well as the new Disney's Animal Kingdom park nearby. The end result will be less traffic on the property, cleaner air and much happier guests. And happy guests are what you folks are all about! In the meantime, at least the Las Vegas MGM Resort is served by Disney monorails (recycled Mark IV's). It appears that "sin city" Las Vegas is moving towards Walt's vision of monorails for urban transit quicker than his own company. A bit ironic, isn't it? Sincerely, Kim Pedersen
Do you agree with Kim's viewpoint? If so ,the Walt Disney World Company can be reached at the address above. [back to the Monorail Society Home Page / back to the Editorials Page]
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